My Ministry Background & Timeline

My calling to this path began in 2009 when I was Ordained as an Interfaith Minister through EarthStar Spiritual Center in Greensboro, NC while working on my doctorate at UNC-Greensboro. I did not have a plan to serve as a traditional minister at that time, nor did I become Ordained to officiate a friends wedding. Although I could have begun officiating ceremonies as that was the goal for many, the only reason I became Ordained, was to be able to offer and teach Reiki and other energy work modalities at that time. My ordination process back then involved a 9-month program and at the end, I had to write a paper on a spiritual topic from three different religions/perspectives. 

My paper “Priestesses and Female Shamans: Spiritual Leaders of the New” tied into my academic studies as well at the time. In addition to going through the ordination process, I was also working on my doctorate in Geography with a focus on Religious Studies as my concentration at UNC-Greensboro. For the Minister Ordination paper, I focused on the Priestess of Sabah and Sarawakin in Borneo known as the Bobohizan; female Shamans in Korea known as Mudongs; and Priestesses/Female Shamans of the Earth based religions such as Wicca, Goddess Spirituality, and European Shamanism such as Heathenry (Nordic) and Celtic Shamanism (pre-Christian Celtic faith). 

From 2005-2009, I dived deep into studying shamanism and energy work and the rituals and ceremonies within those areas both from an academic perspective and from the experiential spiritual perspective for my own healing and growth. My doctorate research focused on non-secular uses of natural landscapes in the Appalachian Mountains. I interviewed park rangers, locals, and guests at state parks in assessing how people were using pubic natural areas for baptisms, weddings, meditations, group ceremonies, and memorials. My sites included Amicalolla Falls in Georgia, Red Clay Springs in Tennessee, Mt. Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, and Cumberland Falls in Kentucky.

After completing my doctorate, the Great Recession was impacting academic positions and I honestly didn't want to stay full time in academia. I returned to work at my father’s veterinary practice. In those years I studied Healing Touch for Animals and TTouch for Horses. My interest in serving animals comes from a connection to the animal health care world through my dad (a veterinarian) as well as my grandfathers who were ranchers. The first “job” I ever had was at an animal hospital and I’ve returned twice to work at animal hospitals for a “sabbatical from academic teaching”. Although my love of the natural sciences primarily pulled me that direction for my career, animal health care is another passion and why today I offer Reiki and End of Life ceremonies for our companion animals and the families that love them. 

From 2011-2017, I taught Reiki, Kahi Loa, Reflexology, and Crystals & Stones Energy work across North Carolina while also working at the animal hospital and as an adjunct for local community colleges. Two of my favorite things in teaching the energy work modalities were bringing people together and the ceremonies involved. During this time I also continued my studies with wisdom keepers from different cultures and learned their perspectives and ceremonies to honor the Earth. 

I eventually went back into the academic world in 2017 full time as a Lecturer within an Anthropology and Geography department where my specialty courses I developed included: Spiritual Landscapes; Sacred Spaces, Sacred Paths; and Myth, Ritual, and Magic. During this time I also became a trained-Veriditas Labyrinth facilitator. The Sacred Spaces, Sacred Paths course included an experiential hands-on project in which they built a temporary labyrinth on campus each spring.  

Around the start of the pandemic in 2020 I enrolled in a class through the University of Edinburgh on Eco-spirituality which was facilitated by then Associate Chaplain Ali Newell. I was interested in incorporating this topic into my existing academic work around cultures, the natural environment, and spiritual beliefs/practices. That course led me to explore more around Celtic Christianity and Creation Spirituality with Matthew Fox as well as practices within Deep Ecology taught by Joanna Macy. Although I do not resonate personally with the political or activist side to Deep Ecology, there are still great practices and tools within Dr. Macy's work. I have found some of her meditations, visualizations, and experiential personal reflections to be profound. Through these practices we can find new ways to explore our personal relationships, our spirituality and what is sacred to us, and our connection to nature through a spiritual lens.

In 2021, I felt called to dive deeper as a Funeral Celebrant and studied with Olivia Barnham of Sacred Crossings. I also began my journey into the Death Doula/Midwife ministry world  the following year with Sacred Crossings.  I was navigating my own pending transition through loss of a family member and desire to support them, myself, and my family with tools, knowledge, and heart. 

Over the two years I took to complete by Death Midwife training with Sacred Crossings, part of my certification involved volunteering for Hospice which I still do. I also enrolled in Evangeline Hemrick's Sacred Transitions Death Doula Training for a local North Carolina perspective on resources available and options. 

As a life long student and wanting to always continue to have the best resources and knowledge to share and support others, I've also taken classes with Dr. Sarah Kerr at the Centre for Sacred Deathcare and Suzanne O'Brien, RN with Doulagivers Institute. I can often be found reading books on death, caring for those dying, and rituals and ceremonies around death in other cultures. I am perhaps oddly very interested in how we in the west deal with death as well as the rituals other cultures use around the world to process something so natural that happens to all of us. My first blog covers my first memory as a child of death and the rainbow bridge.

Upon returning back from Scotland one trip, I began my 6-month training with Lindy Irving of Aye Do Ceremonies. My time studying with her really brought all the pieces together for me in my both my academic work and spiritual offerings.  I personally felt a strong spiritual/ancestral connection with her and the material I was learning. I have much more Scottish DNA than most think, only small percentage Irish!  

The ritual items I use today are from Scotland. They carry the energy of thin places. The blessing stone is from the Isle of Lewis and is made of the same rocks as the Callanish Stones. The handfasting fabrics I have available are also embedded with the energy and skilled hands of people on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. The prayers and blessings I can incorporate come from the Isle of Iona and the Holy Island in the UK. 

I love bringing Scotland to couples. Especially within the Appalachian Mountains. We really do have mystical landscapes here in North Carolina that are just as special as places in Scotland. As a Geographer for two decades having lived in every physiographic region of our state, I feel deeply connected to the land here and if you do not already have a place in mind in nature, we can work together to see what place speaks to your ideal ceremony.

Looking back over my journey I would never have thought that while I was researching other people’s wedding activities in nature and other ceremonies, that I would feel called to one day facilitate weddings and funerals myself. Life is an unfolding surprise if we flow with it.

I have participated in many other types of Earth based/cultural ceremonies over the years including a Peruvian Despacho Ceremony at Mt. Mitchell with elder don Quispe, Aymara Water Ceremony on the Cape Fear River with Silvia Calisaya Chuquimia, and Hawaiian Water Blessings with Dale Stacy in Hawai’i. I’ve also facilitated despacho ceremonies and water blessings for small groups here in NC. For years I've also been called in to do house and office clearings and blessings which I really enjoy doing. Studying Geomancy with Fay Semple in the UK in 2023 added more depth to my understanding of the energies of ancient sites and landscapes.

After two decades of study and teaching about rituals, ceremonies and spiritual landscapes, I knew I wanted to provide even greater depth in rituals and ceremonies. Through weddings, vow renewals, funerals, celebrations of life, and memorials, there is great potential for transformation when the intention is there. Teaching these concepts and ideas are really surface level and good introductions to the possibilities available to us. I hope my blog continues that "teaching" aspect to the public and sharing possibilities and ideas for your own ceremony. Perhaps my personal perspectives on spiritual topics around life, love, and loss you'll also find helpful, insightful, and/or inspiring.

Actively participating, facilitating, and doing ceremonies in beautiful places adds greater joy to my heart these days. In serving and guiding others into deeper spiritual aspects of themselves and supporting others through transformations and transitions, makes me happy and feels aligned with all of my experiences and background. I would be honored to hold the space, provide ideas, and create with you a beautiful sacred way of honoring special moments along your journey.